Elbow Pain

How Chinese medicine differentiates general elbow pain into the four patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each — complementing this site's own Golfer's Elbow and Tennis Elbow pages. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Elbow pain with deformity, inability to move the joint, or signs of infection after injury needs prompt medical evaluation before assuming a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for elbow pain — 11 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
L.I.-11	Clears Heat and cools the Blood. Removes obstructions from the channel.
L.I.-4	Expels exterior Wind. Stops pain. Removes obstructions from the channel.
L.I.-10	Removes obstructions from the channel. Regulates the Intestines. Tonifies Qi.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
ST-36	Tonifies Qi and Blood. Tonifies the Stomach and Spleen.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin. Moves Blood and eliminates stasis.
T.B.-5	Expels Wind-Heat. Benefits the ears. Clears Heat in the head.
G.B.-21	Relaxes sinews. Stimulates the descending of Qi.
S.I.-11	Removes obstructions from the channel. Opens the chest. Benefits the breast.
L.I.-12	Removes obstructions from the channel.
HE-3	Removes obstructions from the channel. Calms the Mind. Clears Heat.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain that doesn't move, worse with pressure/night/cold/heavy lifting, localized swelling or dark bruised appearance, history of injury or repetitive strain.

Tongue: Purple or dusky body with possible stasis spots, distended dark sublingual veins, thin white coat. Pulse: Choppy or wiry.

Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis, open channels and disperse stagnation.

L.I.-11 ↓ L.I.-4 ⊥ L.I.-10 ↓ SP-10 ↓

Note: no moxa. Linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the established discoloration-marker rule.

2. Qi and Blood Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Dull, chronic aching, weakness and heaviness in the arm, worse at night and with fatigue, general fatigue and low energy, pale complexion and lips.

Tongue: Pale body, possibly thin with teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Fine and weak.

Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, nourish Blood, strengthen the Spleen.

ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑ L.I.-11 ⊥

Note: moxa applicable. This site has no combined Qi-and-Blood-deficiency slide, a gap confirmed absent many times over — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

3. Painful Obstruction Due to Damp Heat in Channels

Clinical manifestations: Burning, hot pain, redness and swelling that feels hot, heavy aching sensation, fever or bodily heat sensation, thirst, dark scanty urine.

Tongue: Red body, possibly swollen, with yellow greasy coating. Pulse: Slippery and rapid.

Treatment principle: Clear Heat and drain Dampness, unblock channels, relieve painful obstruction.

L.I.-11 ↓ T.B.-5 ↓

Note: no moxa. This site has no organ-nonspecific Damp-Heat-in-channels Bi-syndrome slide, a gap confirmed absent many times over across other joint-pain pages — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

4. Liver Qi Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Pain that moves from place to place, distending or bloating sensation, worsens with emotional stress/frustration/anger, irritability, mood swings, frequent sighing, fullness along the ribs.

Tongue: Normal or slightly dark body with red or slightly purple sides, thin white coat. Pulse: Wiry, taut like a guitar string.

Treatment principle: Course the Liver and resolve constraint, move Qi and alleviate pain.

G.B.-21 ↓ S.I.-11 ⊥ L.I.-12 ⊥ L.I.-11 ↓ HE-3 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Liver-Qi-stagnation slide.

Related conditions

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